With all the talk about FaceBook, I began trying it out a couple of weeks ago. It was easy to set up, and its basic interface can be enhanced with numerous add-on applications such as iLike (which shows what music you like and allows you to connect to others who have similar music interests) and Google Reader Shared Items.
I can see why people become “addicted” to this sort of application. While probably initially intended for the college crowd, FaceBook seems to be catching on with a much larger population. It is reported to have about 10 million or so users. There are also a number of popular blogs that use FaceBook as a way for their readers to communicate. So far I have seen this done with The Scoble Show, CrunchGear, jkOnTheRun, and MobilitySite.
But, there are some things that make me wonder whether FaceBook is right for me:
- I saw an article that suggested that at least some social media applications (such as FaceBook) can expose your data to identify thieves.
- I read a post by another blogger who said that FaceBook will not delete your account, even if you deactivate it, and that they will “hold your data forever.”
- Earlier this week there was what I would call a security glitch at FaceBook. Their PR rep said it was an internal software error and not a hack. Nonetheless, as Brandee said: “The result was that an isolated group of users could see some pages that were not intended for them.” From what I heard, some users saw the FaceBook inboxes of other users.
This has really gotten me to thinking that I do not want to be tied to FaceBook, at least not until I could feel more secure with it. I also immensely dislike the idea of a company retaining my data, even after I ask them to close it out. Turns out you can get them to delete your data but it is not a one-step operation.
So, even before this week’s “security glitch” I tried to back out of FaceBook. I eliminated all of my content, deactivated my account, and sent an email to FaceBook asking them to delete my account. I got an email from them a few days later that sort of “sweet talked” me into reconsidering it. And, Robert Scoble had continued to talk FaceBook up big time on his blog, so I decided to give it a bit more of a trial period.
But, after this week’s problems with data handling at FaceBook, I am strongly considering backing out of it entirely. [Update: I did quit Facebook ... see the comments below for details.] Note that I am not entirely convinced that they really will delete all of my data, either. For example, when I reactivated my account, I saw that several things were there that I had “eliminated” before deactivating the account.
There are a couple of other points that seem to me to apply to social media applications in general (be they FaceBook or Twitter or whatever):
- It seems to me that these applications can result in an enormous wasting of time. No doubt there are folks that spend hours a day with these applications. That does not seem to me to be a prudent use of time.
- While the applications have the advantage of letting people be “part of a community,” they seem to me to lack the ability to provide what “real community” provides: a reminder of our humanity. If done in moderation, perhaps social media are another way of being part of a community. But, if you let these applications become your total community, you completely miss out on the value of what real community is.
So, what do I mean by “a reminder of our humanity?” Pure and simple, real community activities directly expose us to people who have genuine needs. Real community reminds us to care about people and about this precious creation that we live in.
For example, I do not go to church often, but when I do go, I am fortunate to go to one that has people from all walks of life, from wealthy to poor. Not only does seeing poor people with genuine needs awaken a sense of empathy within me, but I am also reminded that we all have needs and that we can all be victims of sickness and death and loss of financial success. I am reminded on these occasions of how much we need each other and how much we need our Creator. I am reminded that we have responsibilities to each other. I am reminded to be human, again. FaceBook sure does not do that for me.
In closing, I had thought about setting up a group on FaceBook for Keener Living readers, as an outlet to get to know each other better, share tips and ideas, and so on. But, as you can tell from my writing above, I am far from convinced that this would be a good idea. I am not even convinced that I would want to get sucked into spending hours a day on it, even if I were convinced that it the platform is secure.
But, I would like to hear what you think about FaceBook or its competition. Is there a legitimate reason for me to spend time with such an application? Have you found it useful yourself? What are your concerns about data security? Unless I hear some really compelling comments on why I should stick with FaceBook, I will ask them to truly delete my account and data at the beginning of next week.